


Phantom Pains

by Cassandra1007



Series: Cullen Rutherford and Latheira Lavellan [5]
Category: Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: F/M, Finally them as a couple, Fluff and Angst, Post Trespasser, unfortunately it isn't as easy as it seems
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-14
Updated: 2018-05-14
Packaged: 2019-05-04 05:58:50
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 794
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14586489
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cassandra1007/pseuds/Cassandra1007
Summary: Cullen had gotten used to doing simple things for Latheira, like lacing her boots and cutting her meat. However, he didn't know what to do when situations like this arose.





	Phantom Pains

**Author's Note:**

> Hey guys! I was playing my game again and just got inspired. Hope you like it and as always leave a kudos or a comment! Thanks!

Cullen had gotten used to doing simple things for Latheira, like lacing her boots and cutting her meat. However, he didn't know what to do when situations like this arose.

"Cullen... my arm itches" Latheira whined one morning, just about two months after the events at Halamshiral took place. Cullen sleepily mumbled unintelligible something before falling back into snoring lightly. Losing her arm had been tough on Latheira. She had to change the way she did pretty much everything. Luckily she was right handed so she didn't have to relearn to write but simple things like doing her hair and getting dressed had become nigh impossible to do on her own. This early morning, however, presented her with a different problem. _Phantom pains_. She could feel an ache in her arm, an itch, that she could never scratch. It was so frustrating because on top of everything else she couldn't even sleep without her no-longer-there arm giving her problems. That and she couldn't do anything for herself, she was like a child and it was beginning to get to her. Oh who was she kidding it had already gotten to her. Clawing at the sheets she rolled away from her husband towards to edge of the bed, where she sat up. She did what she could to assuage the itching in her left arm by scratching at the nub absent mindedly. She had never liked Solas much but she had always respected him. He lost that respect and now she has a permanent reminder of him. She can never forget his betrayal, and she can never forgive it. 

"Lath what's wrong?" Cullen croaked from his side of the bed, voice rough with sleep.

"Nothing it's just... my arm itches." She sighed resigning herself to the feeling and ceasing her scratching.

"Do you need me to scratch it for you?" Cullen asked, eyes still closed.

"Not that arm."

"Oh." Cullen kicked himself. In his tired state he wasn't thinking clearly. He should have known what she meant. How often had the lyrium in his blood run boiling hot and yet no amount of cold air could fix it? How often had he felt that ghost of power inside him calling out for more. He more than anyone in her party should understand that feeling of something that should be there but isn't. He should be the one that understands the most and here he is making stupid mistakes. Ever since her last face off with Solas he had felt more useless than ever. Sure he did things for her that she couldn't do, but it was out of a sense of duty. They both knew that she did not want him to do these things for her, but that he must. All he wanted was to make her happy. He thought when they got married that could finally happen but Solas took that from them. Cullen, eyes open now and much more awake than a few moments ago, scooted towards Latheira until he was right behind her.

She felt his rough hands touch her shoulders and slowly make their way down to her elbows. His left hand stops there, cradling her stump, while his right hand continues down to hers, caging their fingers together. His left hand massaged the large pink scar where Solas had ripped off her left forearm while his right hand brought hers to his mouth so he could kiss each of her fingers.

"I'm sorry, Lath." That sentence was laced with so much. Love, sorrow, uselessness. He wanted to do better, to  _be_ better for her but he knew that nothing could replace what she lost. She lost her power over everything. The anchor was powerful in and of itself and to have lost it is a great blow to her strength, but on top of that she lost her independence. She could never twirl a staff the same again. She couldn't do up her own boots or braid her own hair ever again. She would always need help with those things and countless others. It seemed it was every day she found something she could no longer do. It was frustrating and more and more she was having to depend on people. How was she supposed to track down Solas and... and do whatever she was going to do to him if she couldn't even scratch her own arm? Letting out a sigh of resignation, Latheira leaned back into Cullen. These moments of fragility always passed, she just had to let them run their course. Cullen pulled her in tight before dragging them both down into bed to finish their sleep. He help Latheira until morning, when everything would be better and the light would shine on a new day.


End file.
